Reviews with content warning for Murder - Certain Dark Things

3.5: a good, well-written, atmospheric read. The only reason I don't rate it higher is that it didn't really... hook me? I liked it, wanted to keep reading it the whole time, looked forward to seeing what happened, and now I have finished it and find myself pretty content. Not amazed, not pining, not disappointed. The book was good and now is read. Would recommend.

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narsere's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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sbsreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

vampire, noir

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bookbunnie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Read this if you’re interested in the histories and abilities of multiple vampire subspecies, love a sweet and simple lovestruck character, and enjoy the classic dynamic of detectives, cops and criminals all being equivalently crooked.

Don’t read this if you want the elegant prose of ethereal vampire angst, need a lot of character development to be satisfied, or want a villain with substance.

This book explores the characters’ different relationships to solitude in part by examining their living conditions and in part by their actions taken to preserve, avoid, or accept their loneliness.

It was a simple and easy read, gritty but not unpalatable.

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mynameisrebecca's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This book takes traditional vampire lore and infuses it with all new species and subtypes of the familiar creature. That was appreciated and very unique, especially as the lore intertwined with Mexican culture and Aztec history. However, the book's plot was relatively one note and didn't leave much development for the characters. A split narrator structure meant shifting between 5 different viewpoints, leaving me as a reader more confused than engaged.

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raechel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

<i>Certain Dark Things</i> takes place in a slightly futuristic Mexico City, in a world where vampires have been known about for decades. Mexico City is one of the few places they're not allowed, but it's where we find Atl, who is on the run from a Necro vampire clan. She teams up with a human garbage collector and works on getting away. This plot is very what-you-see-is-what-you-get and there's no big twists or turns, but sometimes it's nice to have a basic story.

I loved the different types of vampire (we get a encyclopedia in the back of the book), and how the world is different because of it. There are strong themes of tradition, colonization, trust, and love. All wrapped up in violence and blood and neon noir. Side note: idk why this is labeled as YA but it is NOT.

A fun read and I'm honestly a little surprised this isn't a series. Atl was very cool and had a strong personality. Domingo was so sweet and naïve. Bernardino was a cool character, though I feel like more could have been done with him. If you like modern/sci-fi vampire stories this is a great pick.

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magneto's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Picked this book up because I liked the cover design and love a good vampire book but had no context going in. Wound up really loving it and the multi POV format lent itself well to the story, I never found myself thinking a chapter was useless to the story. The world built up in this novel, with its multiple vampire species and the world political situation that results, was really interesting. Will definitely read this again in the future.

Content Warnings

patandbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Enjoyable, atmospheric read! I loved the vampire lore! With the different types that also correspond to the way they feed, their abilities & physical attributes. Reading it felt like I was thrust into this world, knowing only bits & pieces & left me feeling like it's some sort of fever dream, in the best way (which I feel like is what the MC felt).

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